the missing miracle

24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” Matthew 17:24-27

Jesus is in retreat once more, gathering strength for the final confrontation in Jerusalem. He has come to Peter's house in Capernaum, which almost certainly was the only home he ever knew outside of Nazareth. They've been on the road engaged in ministry and have returned home exhausted again.

Oddly enough, Matthew is the only Gospel writer to record the story of the tax collectors confronting Peter, inquiring as to whether or not his master pays the temple tax. Rabbis were supposed to be exempt from this tax. The very fact that they have come asking Jesus to pay indicates that his position in the community has almost completely eroded.

It is Jesus who speaks first when Peter comes in the door to inquire about the tax. Given Jesus' statement “the sons are free,” it would appear that they will not pay. Jesus is the Son, and not subject to any tax.

But then he concludes with something remarkable, something so unlike him. “[We do not want] to give offense to them.” Since when does Jesus not want to offend these people? From the beginning, he has gone out of his way to confront them. But now it appears that things are different. There's not much time left for them to simply be together as friends. So Jesus enacts one of his most un-miraculous miracles, a miracle so un-miraculous that Matthew doesn't even bother to record the fulfillment of it.

Look as closely as you like, it simply isn't there. We are left to assume that everything happened just as Jesus said it would.

Matthew chose for some unknown reason to leave out the real reason for the strange story of the coin in the fish's mouth. I think it's this: Knowing that the least indiscretion would only mean more conflict for the both of them, Jesus chose to exercise his awesome and unlimited power to make a coin appear out of nowhere to pay the fee that was required. All this, so that he and his friend might share an uninterrupted evening of fellowship, for in a few days one of them would be leaving that place—never to return. —Michael Card michaelcard.com

seeking: Jesus, how have you encouraged my heart during these quiet moments? What fellowship have we shared?

responding: Can I understand now how miraculous it was that Jesus wanted simply to spend time with his friend Peter? • Do I see any parallels in the story to my own life?

Master, I come to you now in tiredness. You know what being exhausted feels like. All I ask is that you take my weariness and turn it into peace. Perhaps no one will ever record the miracle of it, Lord, but nonetheless I ask this of you so that we might spend a few moments together in blessed, refreshing silence.

following: Sometimes peace and quiet is a miracle from Jesus.

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